Agabus

Biblical Record

Agabus is a prophet of the early church who appears only in the Book of Acts. A prophet is one who receives and proclaims the will of God.

The first account is Acts 11:27–30. Among the prophets who came down from Jerusalem to Antioch, Agabus stood up and "signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world." The text records that this came to pass in the days of Claudius (the Roman emperor, who reigned AD 41–54). The disciples at Antioch, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren who lived in Judea, and they sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul (Paul).

The second account is Acts 21:10–11. While Paul and his companions were staying at the house of Philip the evangelist in Caesarea, Agabus came down from Judea. He took Paul's girdle, bound his own hands and feet with it, and declared that the Holy Spirit said the Jews at Jerusalem would bind the owner of the girdle in the same way and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. On hearing this, Paul's companions and the local believers urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. Paul replied that he was ready not only to be bound but also to die for the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 21:12–14).

Significance Within Scripture

The accounts of Agabus show that there were people in the early church who prophesied. Acts also mentions the prophets at Antioch (Acts 13:1), Silas (Acts 15:32), and the four daughters of Philip (Acts 21:9).

The first prophecy led to relief sent by the predominantly Gentile church at Antioch to the church in Judea. In the second prophecy Agabus bound himself with a girdle, recalling the way Old Testament prophets conveyed their messages through symbolic actions as well as words. Within the narrative of Acts, this prophecy foreshadows Paul's arrest in Jerusalem and his journey to Rome.

Interpretation and Points of Debate

• The figure in the two accounts: Most interpreters identify the Agabus of chapter 11 with the Agabus of chapter 21. Some, however, regard them as different people, because chapter 21 introduces him anew as "a certain prophet, named Agabus."
• The details of the prophecy: The one who actually bound Paul was the Roman chief captain (Acts 21:33). Opinions therefore differ on how to understand the words "So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles." Some scholars see this as evidence that New Testament prophecy could be mistaken in its details. Others point to Paul's own statement, "yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans" (Acts 28:17), and hold that the prophecy was fulfilled in its essentials.
• The debate over spiritual gifts: Agabus is frequently cited in the debate between cessationism and continuationism. Cessationists regard him as a prophet confined to the apostolic age. Continuationists, along with Pentecostals and charismatics, see him as an example of the gift of prophecy that continues today.
• Extra-biblical tradition: Eastern church tradition counts Agabus among the seventy disciples sent out by Jesus and holds that he died a martyr. This is a later tradition not found in the biblical text.

In the Korean Church

The New Korean Revised Version renders the name "아가보" (Agabo). In the Korean church, the Agabus passages are cited mainly within sermons and studies devoted to other themes: sermons on the relief and sharing practiced by the church at Antioch, sermons on Paul's resolve to go to Jerusalem prepared to be bound, and Bible studies on the gift of prophecy.